Canadian regulator asks telcos to share network with smaller cos, agree to wholesale rates

Canada’s top wireless firms will now be required to accept requests for access to their networks from smaller companies and also negotiate on wholesale prices, the country’s telecom regulator said on Wednesday, as it looks to lower the cost of cellphone plans and increase competition.

For years, Canadian consumers have complained about high cellular bills, which rank among the steepest in the world, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has threatened to take action if the providers failed to cut bills by 25%.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has since been under pressure to increase competition and lower prices where three companies – BCE Inc’s Bell unit, Telus Corp and Rogers Communications control over 80% of the mobile subscriber market.